Thumb-pads up-a new species of thick-thumbed bat from Sumatra (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae: Glischropus).

To date, three species of the genus Glischropus are recognized from the Indomalayan zoogeographic region-G. bucephalus from the Indochinese subregion, G. tylopus from the Sundaic subregion (Peninsular Thailand and Malaysia, Borneo, Sumatra, Moluccas) and G. javanus, restricted to Java. The investigation of the holotype and three topotype specimens of G. batjanus supported the view that the name was previously correctly regarded as the junior subjective synonym of G. tylopus. During review of material recently collected in southwestern Sumatra, Indonesia, one specimen of a yet undescribed species of Thick-thumbed bat was identified. G. aquilus n. sp. markedly differs from its congeners by its dark brown pelage, nearly black ear and tragus, and in skull proportions. The phylogenetic analysis based on cytb sequences also supports the specific distinctness of G. aquilus n. sp. Its discovery brings the count to 88 species of bats known from Sumatra.

The bii4africa dataset of faunal and floral population intactness estimates across Africa's major land uses.

Sub-Saharan Africa is under-represented in global biodiversity datasets, particularly regarding the impact of land use on species' population abundances. Drawing on recent advances in expert elicitation to ensure data consistency, 200 experts were convened using a modified-Delphi process to estimate 'intactness scores': the remaining proportion of an 'intact' reference population of a species group in a particular land use, on a scale from 0 (no remaining individuals) to 1 (same abundance as the reference) and, in rare cases, to 2 (populations that thrive in human-modified landscapes). The resulting bii4africa dataset contains intactness scores representing terrestrial vertebrates (tetrapods: ±5,400 amphibians, reptiles, birds, mammals) and vascular plants (±45,000 forbs, graminoids, trees, shrubs) in sub-Saharan Africa across the region's major land uses (urban, cropland, rangeland, plantation, protected, etc.) and intensities (e.g., large-scale vs smallholder cropland). This dataset was co-produced as part of the Biodiversity Intactness Index for Africa Project. Additional uses include assessing ecosystem condition; rectifying geographic/taxonomic biases in global biodiversity indicators and maps; and informing the Red List of Ecosystems.

A new species of Murina (Mammalia: Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae) from peninsular Thailand.

A new species of Murina belonging to 'suilla-group' is described based on two specimens collected with harp traps in lowland evergreen forest in the southernmost part of peninsular Thailand. Morphology and molecular (mitochondrial COI) data suggest that the new species is most closely related to M. eleryi, which is currently known from Indochina. The new species, however, can be distinguished by the size and shape of the upper canine, the shape of the upper and lower premolars, and the colour of the ventral pelage. Additional data on bacular morphology, echolocation, ecology, and distribution are included.

Rediscovery of Biswamoyopterus (Mammalia: Rodentia: Sciuridae: Pteromyini) in Asia, with the description of a new species from Lao PDR.

A new species of the flying squirrel genus Biswamoyopterus is described from Lao PDR. It is based on a single specimen collected from a local food market at Ban Thongnami, Pak Kading District, Bolikhamxai Province. The new taxon shows close affinities to Biswamoyopterus biswasi, which is only known from the holotype collected in 1981, 1250 km from the current locality, in Arunachal Pradesh, Northeast India. However, it differs substantially in pelage colour, most particularly on the ventral surfaces of the body, patagia, tail membrane, and tail. The single specimen was found in an area of central Lao PDR, which is characterised by its extensive limestone karst formations and which is home to other rare endemic rodents, including the Khanyou (Laonastes aenigmamus) nd the Lao limestone rat (Saxatilomyspaulinae).

Solving the taxonomic identity of Hipposideros cineraceus sensu lato (Chiroptera: Hipposideridae) in the Thai-Malay Peninsula, with the description of a new species.

A new species of small Hipposideros in the bicolor group is described based on specimens from Thailand and Malaysia. It can be distinguished from other small Hipposideros in Southeast Asia by a combination of external, craniodental, and bacular morphology, as well as echolocation call frequency. The new species has a distinct rounded swelling on the internarial septum of the noseleaf, with a forearm length of 35.3-42.6 mm, greatest skull length of 15.94-17.90 mm, and a call frequency of maximum energy of 132.3-144.0 kHz. Although clearly different in morphology, the new species forms a sister clade with H. kunzi and H. bicolor in the phylogenetic trees based on mitochondrial DNA. In addition, this study reports echolocation and genetic data, with a confirmed record of H. einnaythu from Thailand for the first time. The new species most closely resembles H. einnaythu. However, it differs in the details of the noseleaf and craniodental morphology, and it has a genetic distance of 9.6% and 10.4% based on mitochondrial COI and ND2, respectively. It is currently documented from five localities: two in peninsular Thailand, at Hala Forest in Yala Province, and Phru To Daeng Swamp Forest in Narathiwat Province, one from peninsular Malaysia at Krau Wildlife Reserve in Pahang, and another two in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo at Gunung Kinabalu, and near Madai Caves. However, it is likely that many previous records of "H. cineraceus" from Borneo refer to this species. Most records of the species are from lowland evergreen rainforest, though one record from Sabah was at 1800m. The roosting sites for this new species are currently unknown. Future research with a combination of data such as genetics, echolocation and morphology would be necessary to further determine the species geographic distribution in Southeast Asia.

Bird diversity along an urban to rural gradient in large tropical cities peaks in mid-level urbanization.

The gradient from natural to urban areas strongly associates with the structure of avian communities over that gradient. Most research on urban birds is from temperate areas and knowledge from tropical Southeast Asia is lacking. We examined bird species diversity, relative abundance, and species composition along an urban to rural gradient in three Myanmar cities, and assessed potential environmental factors responsible for the changes. We counted birds within 40 point-count sites with 50-m fixed-radius in three large cities of Myanmar, namely Mandalay, Mawlamyine, and Myeik. We distinguished four urban habitat types (Downtown-urban, University Campus-suburban, Paddy Field-agriculture, Hill-forest). We classified all species into migrant or resident and into major feeding groups and related with several environmental parameters such as 'impervious surface'. We counted 5,423 individuals of 103 species with roughly equal species diversity between the three cities. Rock Pigeon (Columba livia) was the most frequent species. The species composition differed significantly between the four major habitat types. Omnivores were more abundant in the city center than all other functional groups. Interestingly, insectivores were also predominant in the city center. In addition, more generalist' species occurred towards the city center compared to the periphery, indicating that the periphery has increased relevance for specialized birds. We found some marked differences in species composition between the three cities of Mandalay, Mawlamyine, and Myeik. Additionally to species composition, species diversity and relative abundance differed significantly between each of the four major habitat types in all three cities.

Historic changes in species composition for a globally unique bird community.

Significant uncertainties remain of how global change impacts on species richness, relative abundance and species composition. Recently, a discussion emerged on the importance of detecting and understanding long-term fluctuations in species composition and relative abundance and whether deterministic or non-deterministic factors can explain any temporal change. However, currently, one of the main impediments to providing answers to these questions is the relatively short time series of species diversity datasets. Many datasets are limited to 2 years and it is rare for a few decades of data to be available. In addition, long-term data typically has standardization issues from the past and/or the methods are not comparable. We address several of these uncertainties by investigating bird diversity in a globally important mountain ecosystem of the Hkakabo Razi Landscape in northern Myanmar. The study compares bird communities in two periods (pre-1940: 1900-1939 vs. post-2000: 2001-2006). Land-cover classes have been included to provide understanding of their potential role as drivers. While species richness did not change, species composition and relative abundance differed, indicating a significant species turn over and hence temporal change. Only 19.2% of bird species occurred during both periods. Land-cover model predictors explained part of the species richness variability but not relative abundance nor species composition changes. The temporal change is likely caused by minimal methodological differences and partially by land-cover.

The first record of Ia io Thomas, 1902 (Mammalia: Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae) from the Sundaic Subregion, with a description of a new subspecies from peninsular Thailand.

The Great evening bat Ia io Thomas, 1902, previously considered as an endemic to the Indochinese subregion, is reported from the Sundaic subregion for the first time based on specimens collected from three localities in Surat Thani Province and Phang Nga Province, peninsular Thailand. It is described herein as a new subspecies based on its substantially larger body and skull size. The mitochondrial COI and cytochrome b genes reveal that the new subspecies has a genetic distance of 1.89% and 1.65%, respectively, from the nominate subspecies. Echolocation calls comprise four harmonics, with the maximum energy in the first harmonic (fmaxe) of 23.6-27.4 kHz. Notes on the population size as well as roosting and foraging behaviour are also provided.

A new genus and species of false vampire (Chiroptera: Megadermatidae) from peninsular Thailand.

A new genus and associated species of false vampire, family Megadermatidae, are described based on three specimens from Bala Forest, Narathiwat Province, peninsular Thailand. The new taxon is characterised by a unique combination of distinctive dental, cranial, and external characters, some of which are shared with exclusively African genera and some with Asian genera. These characters are comparable to, or exceed in number, those differentiating currently recognised genera in the family Megadermatidae. They include the absence of a first upper premolar; greatly enlarged upper canine without an anterolingual cingular cusp but with a robust posterolingual cusp; unmodified upper first molar with the preparacrista subequal in length to the postmetacrista, the metastyle not reduced and situated labially; robust lower canine without an anterolingual cusp; the first lower premolar enlarged, equal to or larger than the second lower premolar. In the skull, there is a pronounced rostral depression but no well developed frontal shield with preorbital and/or postorbital processes; the coronoid process is greatly enlarged in each half mandible. Externally, the body size is relatively large and the posterior noseleaf is rounded. The baculum has a robust shaft and two short prongs-the bacula of all five other species of megadermatid are illustrated for the first time; extraordinarily, those of Macroderma gigas and Megaderma lyra comprise two separate bones. DNA barcoding indicate a genetic divergence of about 20 percent (sequence divergence in the mitochondrial gene CO1) between the new genus and species of Megaderma and Cardioderma. Currently, despite numerous bat surveys in peninsular Thailand, the new genus is only known from Bala Forest. The small area of this forest and the very low capture rate suggest that the new species may be extremely rare. Its natural history is little known, although its robust dental and cranial features when coupled with chance observations of its feeding behaviour, suggest it may specialise in eating large beetles. Its conservation status is considered to be at risk owing to the rapid loss of forest habitat in much of the Thai-Malay peninsula.

The evolution of bat vestibular systems in the face of potential antagonistic selection pressures for flight and echolocation.

The vestibular system maintains the body's sense of balance and, therefore, was probably subject to strong selection during evolutionary transitions in locomotion. Among mammals, bats possess unique traits that place unusual demands on their vestibular systems. First, bats are capable of powered flight, which in birds is associated with enlarged semicircular canals. Second, many bats have enlarged cochleae associated with echolocation, and both cochleae and semicircular canals share a space within the petrosal bone. To determine how bat vestibular systems have evolved in the face of these pressures, we used micro-CT scans to compare canal morphology across species with contrasting flight and echolocation capabilities. We found no increase in canal radius in bats associated with the acquisition of powered flight, but canal radius did correlate with body mass in bat species from the suborder Yangochiroptera, and also in non-echolocating Old World fruit bats from the suborder Yinpterochiroptera. No such trend was seen in members of the Yinpterochiroptera that use laryngeal echolocation, although canal radius was associated with wing-tip roundedness in this group. We also found that the vestibular system scaled with cochlea size, although the relationship differed in species that use constant frequency echolocation. Across all bats, the shape of the anterior and lateral canals was associated with large cochlea size and small body size respectively, suggesting differential spatial constraints on each canal depending on its orientation within the skull. Thus in many echolocating bats, it seems that the combination of small body size and enlarged cochlea together act as a principal force on the vestibular system. The two main groups of echolocating bats displayed different canal morphologies, in terms of size and shape in relation to body mass and cochlear size, thus suggesting independent evolutionary pathways and offering tentative support for multiple acquisitions of echolocation.

Food preferences of winter bird communities in different forest types.

Food availability for forest birds is a function of habitat type, forest management regime, and season. In winter, it is also impacted by variations in the weather. In the current study we assessed the food preferences of wild bird populations in two types of forest (spruce and beech) during the months of November 2010 to April 2011 in the Schwäbische Alb Biodiversity Exploratory, south-western Germany. Our aim was to investigate whether local bird communities preferred fat-rich, carbohydrate-rich or wild fruits and to determine how forest structure, seasonality and local weather conditions affected food preferences. We found higher bird activity in beech forests for the eleven resident species. We observed a clear preference for fat-rich food for all birds in both forest types. Snow cover affected activity at food stations but did not affect food preferences. Periods of extreme low temperatures increased activity.